The East Lothian Answer

The former Scottish Secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind has resurrected his articulate case for what he calls an 'East Lothian Answer' (he lives in Inveresk) to the long-standing West Lothian Question, chiefly an English Grand Committee. Alan Cochrane has an account of Sir Malcolm's fringe speech in today's Daily Telegraph.

Sir Malcolm first raised this solution more than a year ago when he circulated it as a paper to Tory MPs. I remember then that both the Conservative leader, David Cameron, and the Shadow Scottish Secretary, David Mundell, were minded to accept it over the cruder and divisive English Votes for English Laws solution.